Harvesting Energy from Good Vibrations

A new energy harvesting system, developed by Midé Technology, converts a helicopter's vibrations into renewable energy to help automate its rotor track and balance adjustments whilst still in the air - something that until now has been done manually, and on the ground.

Automating these adjustments eliminates significant downtime of the helicopter, saving a considerable amount of money for helicopter operators. A further benefit is that the motors used to make the adjustments are powered solely by energy that is harvested from the vibrations present on the helicopter.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 5, 2008 -- Helicopters are shaky things at the best of times, but a new energy harvesting system being developed by Midé Technology, converts otherwise "bad" energy, in the form of vibrations, into "good" electrical energy to power a novel rotor track and balance system for helicopters. Rotor track and balance adjustments are made during scheduled maintenance intervals - something that until now has been done manually, and on the ground.

Mide's Volture Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester

"Midé Technology recognized that these manual adjustments were very costly in terms of labor & fuel due to the flight time required to verify that adjustments were made correctly," said Midé's Director of Mechanical Engineering, Chris Ludlow. "That's why we looked to develop this revolutionary new system."

"Our new system consists of motors that make the adjustments while in flight," Mr Ludlow said. "Automating these adjustments eliminates significant downtime of the helicopter, saving a considerable amount of money for helicopter operators. A further benefit is that the motors used to make the adjustments are powered solely by energy that is harvested from the vibrations present on the helicopter."

Harvesting energy from the environment is an ideal way to power remote systems in a cost-effective fashion. Midé harvests vibration energy from the environment using its Volture™ piezoelectric energy harvesting device. Piezoelectric materials are a unique class of smart materials that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. This energy can then be stored and used to run wireless sensors and actuator systems.

Mide is also using the Volture™ to power a system that wirelessly monitors the brake force of freight train cars. Severe damage to train tracks can be caused if a train tries to move with even a few brakes set on different cars. Currently there is no way to ensure that the train brakes are fully engaged or disengaged without manual inspection. Midé's complete system constantly monitors the brakes on each train car without the need for wires and batteries.

The use of energy harvesting on helicopters and trains are just two examples of the applications of Midé's patented technology. Midé's Volture™ energy harvester is easily customizable for any vibration rich environment, such as those of industrial machinery, automobiles, appliances, aircraft, motors, and many more. Due to its robust nature, the Volture™ has the capability to provide reliable power to remote sensors and actuators for many, many years without maintenance.

Midé Technology (www.mide.com) was founded in 1989 and is a Boston based R&D company that develops, produces, and markets high performance smart technologies - primarily for the aerospace, automotive, transportation and manufacturing industries. The Midé website offers a range of articles, research materials and FAQs for the smart technology consumer.

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Chris Ludlow, please call Chris at 781/306-0609 ext 227.

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